


back to witches and wizards

by kotaka_kun



Series: goin' back to hogwarts [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, DADA Professor!Sokka, M/M, Potioneer!Zuko, first time teacher!Sokka, fuck standardized testing, he's a stay at home husband, not really a crossover so much as it is an au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:48:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29734113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotaka_kun/pseuds/kotaka_kun
Summary: “Okay, so I’m not saying that Kiyoshi doesn’t know how to do her job,” Sokka burst in through the floo, positively seething, “But if she thinks that I’m going to be endangering my students by teaching them spells that they’re not ready to learn for the sake of them being, quote-unquote, prepared for their OWLs, she has another thing coming.”
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: goin' back to hogwarts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185353
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	back to witches and wizards

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RollingWings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RollingWings/gifts).



> an overarching theme we’ve got going is righting the absolute bonkers shortcomings hp universe, including (but not limited to) the educational system within hogwarts, so I figured why not expand on that?

“Okay, so I’m not saying that Kiyoshi doesn’t know how to do her job,” Sokka burst in through the floo, positively seething, “But if she thinks that I’m going to be endangering my students by teaching them spells that they’re not ready to learn for the sake of them being, quote-unquote, prepared for their OWLs, she has another thing coming.” 

“Welcome home,” Zuko said, not looking over from where he was bottling his latest potion, “Dinner should be ready soon.” 

Right on cue, the timer in the kitchen rang before turning itself off as the enchanted pots and pans began plating their food. 

“Thank you, I love you so much,” Sokka replied, and then without missing a beat, went back to his rant. “I just can’t believe that she really expects fifth-year students -- actual children, mind you! Just because they’re teenagers doesn’t mean a damn thing! Fifth-year students! Mastering a confundus charm? What for? Who are they going to be confounding? Tell me, what is the practical application of that supposed to be? Merlin knows they’ll be trying to use it on each other before any of them are ready, and- gosh, did you know that a miscast confundus could cause lasting damage on children who aren’t of age?” Sokka’s voice was rising in volume and pitch. 

“Who would’ve thought! What a thing to be teaching actual children! Shouldn’t we be trying to make their learning meaningful through intention? What kind of intention is there behind teaching to the test? What meaning is there if students are forced to cram their brains chock full of information that they decide is completely useless once the tests are completed? Isn’t the point of education to make them into lifelong learners in the ways that matter? Why can’t we have more authentic assessment? Something beyond written and “practical” exams,” 

The air quotations around practical were all but audible in the venom in his voice, “Which are supposedly going to help them decide what they want to pursue in the future. Let them decide for themselves! What if they’re interested in employment outside of the Wizarding World? What if they’re looking to forge their own path outside of the rigid systems in place? Our students are so much more than numbers, statistics, points on a graph. Data means nothing if we don’t bother to change how we do things so that we’re doing right by them.” 

Meanwhile, Zuko had sealed and packaged his potion, handing it off to one of their owls for delivery, and now made his way over to Sokka, tugging him gently to the table where dinner was waiting. 

“There needs to be a complete overhaul of the curriculum,” Sokka muttered as he summoned his copy of the school calendar to the table, “The school system as a whole, even. Because this shit is completely unacceptable.” 

“Slow down,” Zuko’s voice was gentle but firm as he pushed the calendar aside in favor of placing a plate in front of Sokka, “And take a breath.” 

Sokka fell silent as he did as he was told, breathing in the aroma of the piping hot curry rice that Zuko had served him. It helped to ground him a little, and he felt the tension slowly bleed out of his shoulders. 

“I think you’re certainly right about students being more than what their data shows. They’re not just buckets that need to have information poured into each year. They’re living, breathing individuals, each with their own life and story, still learning who they are and who they’re going to be.” Zuko said kindly. “But you can’t fight battles for them on an empty stomach.” 

Managing a cross between a sigh and a laugh, Sokka nodded, and began to eat, thanking Zuko as he did so. 

“Aside from standardized tests being the bane of your existence, how was your day?” 

“Actually, it was pretty decent,” Sokka said concedingly. 

“Your two troublemakers? You said they got into a fight yesterday.” 

“Oh! Oh, Merlin, you wouldn’t believe how tetchy they’re being. The passive-aggressiveness of those two has the entire class on edge, myself included.” Sokka laughed, genuine and hearty this time. Zuko smiled. 

“Yeah?” 

“It’s ridiculous. I had them working in groups while we discussed the morality of the Confundus charm, and Luca decides to share that they think the charm is bad because it gives the user an unfair advantage, and that it’s essentially lying and cheating, and then Sam stands up afterward to say that lying and cheating is sometimes necessary in a duel, and then Luca says, completely blank-faced, that friendship isn’t a duel and therefore there’s no need for lying in a friendship,” Sokka ran a hand down his face while Zuko laughed, “All while looking straight at Sam, who was pointedly looking to the front of the class instead. And the class was just dead silent for a solid thirty seconds while I tried to think of something to say.”    
“What did you say? What do you even say to that?” 

“I said it was time for them to take out their textbooks so they could get a head start on their homework for the day.” Zuko laughed harder, and Sokka threw up his hands. “What else was I supposed to say? There was no diffusing that tension normally!” 

“Teenagers are really something else,” Zuko said with a shake of his head. 

“You can say that again.” Sokka rolled his eyes, his expression fond. “Think we were anywhere near that bad when we were their age?” 

“You know we were.” It was the truth, and both of them knew it, and they spent the rest of dinner accusing one another of somehow being worse in their adolescence. There was no clear victor, just the reassurance that both of them had been plenty angsty in their youth. 

Zuko had just started to clear the table when Sokka took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, an air of decisiveness about him so powerful that it made Zuko pause and look back to him. 

“I’m going to sit down and talk with Kiyoshi.” There was a steely look in his eyes, and Zuko felt his heart flutter at the sheer determination he saw there. 

“Good,” he said. “A first year as a teacher or not, you shouldn’t be afraid of making waves. You’re doing right by these kids, Sokka. They’re lucky to have you.” 

“I just- I want to the kind of professor that I wish we’d had, growing up.” 

Zuko beamed. 

“You already are.” 

**Author's Note:**

> mayhaps i went a tad bit too hard in the shit talking of standardized tests? ah, but alas, no amount of shit talking could do justice to the depths of my disdain of them.


End file.
